Related Articles

The health care sector includes a number of technical careers, and clinical perfusion is among the most demanding. Perfusionists operate the equipment, commonly called a "heart-lung machine," that keeps patients alive during heart surgery by circulating and aerating their blood. Perfusionists might need to administer blood products, drugs or anesthetics during a procedure, and assist the surgeons by monitoring the patient's condition throughout surgery. This degree of responsibility requires significant training.

Accredited Programs

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or CAAHEP, recognized 17 accredited perfusion programs in the United States as of May 2012. Of these, four offered bachelor's degrees in perfusion, seven offered a master's degree and six offered certificates in perfusion for applicants who already held a suitable degree and wished to qualify in this technical specialty.

Baccalaureate

Students pursuing a B.S. degree in clinical perfusion begin their degree with two years of coursework that lays down a suitable academic foundation, including English and mathematics, chemistry, physics and anatomy or biology. During the third and fourth years of the program, students begin their detailed study of perfusion, alternating classroom instruction with simulators and several hours observing and participating in perfusion procedures in a clinical setting. At graduation, students will be eligible to take their national certification exams from the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.

Master's and Certificate Programs

Master's degree programs in clinical perfusion accept candidates whose B.S. degrees contain a suitable combination of courses, similar to those taken in the first two years of a bachelor's degree in perfusion. Those with degrees in nursing or other related health care careers can also be eligible. Certificate programs accept those who already hold a master's degree in health care but wish to cross-train as perfusionists. In each case, these advanced degrees provide the necessary combination of classwork and clinical training to successfully pass the ABCP's certification exams and practice in the field.

Outlook

Like most other healthcare careers, perfusionists are likely to be in high demand through 2020, as the aging baby boomer generation places a heavier burden on the health care system. Most perfusion programs take only a small number of students each year, so the field is not cluttered with qualified applicants. Salaries reflect the career's significant degree of training and responsibility. According to 2006 figures from the American Medical Association's website, perfusionists can expect a starting salary of $60,000 to $70,000, with average incomes in the $70,000 to $90,000 range. The CAAHEP website indicates that perfusionists with a decade's experience or more can earn up to $200,000 but does not cite a date for that figure.

Resources (2)

About the Author

Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada's Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He's held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.